Power and Community in Yoga

A hybrid course of pre-recorded lectures, and group discussions online, live and interactive

This course examines abuses of power in modern yoga and how yoga communities have responded to injustice.

How can we play our part in safe community building?

This course is a collaboration with the SOAS Yoga Studies Online programme, and has 2 parts:

Part 1: Spiritual Abuse in Modern Yoga

  • 12 hours of self-paced study.

  • 3 x 1-hour pre-recorded lectures delivered by Amelia.

  • Sign up via the SOAS Yoga Studies Online portal here.

Part 2: Community Connections

  • 3 x 1 hour live session via Zoom hosted by Amelia.

  • Discussion, questions, and further learning.

  • Connect with other like-minded people in the yoga world.

Please note: each part must be booked separately.

Part 1 can be booked via the SOAS website here and Part 2 via my booking page here.

Content note: in this course abuses of power are discussed. Content notes are given throughout, when appropriate. At the start of each recorded session a list of sources of support is provided. Gratuitous descriptions of abuse are avoided. This course centres survivors and not perpetrators.

We will come together to discuss:

  • Power in modern yoga.

  • Different kinds of abuse and how they enable one another - spiritual abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse.

  • Where abuse of power has occurred and how we can understand it.

  • Case studies from within well known modern lineages and yoga traditions including Bikram Yoga, Satyananda Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga, as well as less prominent cases.

  • How spiritual and yogic ideas have been mis-used to manipulate and coerce people in yoga contexts.

  • How the yoga industry has responded to abuse.

  • The ways in which cases of abuse have been represented in the media.

  • Issues of victim blaming, gaslighting and racist discourses.

  • Recovery from injustice - is this possible within the yoga industry?

  • Examples of models of recovery and community - I will talk about post-lineage yoga and groups such as SATYA (set up in response to revelations of abuse in the Sivananda Yoga context).

This course will equip you with some of the answers and ways of thinking about these questions.

Dates, Content, and Cost

2025 Dates: September 10th, 17th and 24th

The course will take place on 3 consecutive Wednesday evenings 7-9pm UK time / 8-10pm European / 11am-1pm Pacific / 2-4pm Eastern. Find your timezone here.

Week 1: Context, Definitions, and Case Studies

Before attending the first live session please watch (in your own time) the pre-recorded Module 1: Definitions and Framings on the SOAS Yoga Studies Online platform.

Week 1 of the pre-recorded lectures is an introduction to the course and covers: what is Spiritual Abuse; why is it important to understand the definition of Spiritual Abuse in relation to yoga and how can we think about it, critically. I define what I mean by modern transnational yoga. I present a brief survey of case studies of abuses of power (some you may be familiar with and other lesser known cases) from the 20th and 21st century. In the first live discussion there will be time for those participating in the course to introduce themselves. I will add to the case studies surveyed in the pre-recorded lecture. Bring you questions and thoughts to discuss further.

Week 2: Discourses and the Media

Before attending the first live session please watch (in your own time) the pre-recorded Module 2: Discourse on the SOAS Yoga Studies Online platform.

What are the understandings, misunderstandings, and responses to abuse in the industry and the media? How has abuse in yoga contexts been talked about? The week 2 pre-recorded lecture examines how instances and allegations of abuse have been received and talked about in traditional media, social media, within yoga communities, and academia. I question how the discourse around abuse cases has reinforced or dismantled racist stereotypes. In the live discussion we can talk about documentaries and podcasts that have more recently contributed to the discourse on abuse in yoga. Do they centre survivors? Do they sensationalise harm?

Week 3: Justice and Community

Before attending the first live session please watch (in your own time) the pre-recorded Module 3: Resisting Injustice on the SOAS Yoga Studies Online platform.

In week 3, I ask, what can we do as yoga teachers or practitioners in the industry to resist injustice in light of abuse revelations? What are organisations attempting to do? We will think about spiritual abuse on a structural and interpersonal level, using ideas such as hermeneutic and epistemic injustice and look at examples of those who have resisted injustice. Can we come together in community? How are yoga communities moving forwards and what models of recovery exist? We can use the live session to constructively discuss ideas about the safety building in yoga spaces.

Cost

Full Price: Part 1 £108 + Part 2 £98

Part 1 and Part 2 must be booked separately. Part 1 can be booked via the SOAS website here and Part 2 via my booking page here.

There are 2 low-cost places for Part 2 at £68 which can be booked via my booking page here. Unfortunately the price of Part 1 is fixed and cannot be discounted.

Please read the terms & conditions before booking.

This course is for you. . .

  • If you have heard about abuses of power (read articles or seen the Bikram Choudhury documentary, for example) and wonder why more people aren’t talking about it.

  • If you’d like to learn how to talk to your students about abuses of power in yoga.

  • If you’re wondering what has happened since the 2017 #metoo wave of revelations of abuse in yoga.

  • If you’re unsure about the connection between abuse in yoga and cults - I offer some clarity between these ideas.

  • If you’re unsure about the connection between abuse in yoga and trauma informed methods - I clarify why and how they’re connected.

  • If you’re interested in diversifying your understanding of the history of modern yoga and the industry.

  • If you want to come together with other like minded yoga teachers and build community.

  • If you’re unsure about how we can move forwards to co-create some new in the yoga industry.

  • You want more FEMINISM in yoga. My theoretical framework is informed by a feminist philosophy of language, meaning, and ways of thinking such as hermeneutic and epistemic injustice. Not sure what this means? Sign up to the course to find out.

  • You want to learn from me, Amelia, a yoga practitioner and scholar. I’ve been researching this topic for year! I’ve read the sources, brought them together and want to share them with YOU.

  • Each week I will discuss distinct topics and consider how they relate to the overall theme of power and community. See above for the weekly break down of topics covered.

  • There are 2 sections.

    Part 1 - 3 modules, pre-recorded lectures and reading. This is available through the SOAS Yoga Studies Online platform.

    Part 2 - 4 live sessions, up to 1 hour long, taking place on set dates via Zoom.

    The pre-recorded sessions are lectures with slides, available to watch at your own pace, online. There are some additional resources to read in your own time - blogs and articles.

    The live sessions will be delivered live, online via Zoom. Participants are expected to attend the majority of these session live, but recordings will be made available for a limited time, uploaded to a Google classroom.

    The live sessions are a space to bring questions and discuss the pre-recorded lecture content.

  • There are 2 reduced cost bursary/scholarship places. If you require a low-cost space please book this via the booking page. These are first come, first served.

    This bursary will be given in good faith (i.e. you won’t have to prove low income) and on the understanding that you will be able to join the course live.

    The same terms and conditions apply to the bursary place as to other places on the course - once a purchase has been made the cost is non-refundable.

  • The aim of the live sessions is to meet in community, discuss and share ideas so there is real value in attending live and contributing. Unlike the pre-recorded sessions, the live sessions are not hour long lectures.

    Having said that, I will record the lives session and you can watch it back in your own time. The replay will be available for 30 days after the end of the course. The content is not to be shared with those not participating in the course.

  • Yes.

    This course is for people who are enthusiastic about learning more about yoga.

    You don’t have to be a qualified yoga teacher to take part. Some knowledge of yoga and the industry will be helpful but it is not a pre-requisite.

  • There are suggested readings and resources as part of the SOAS Yoga Studies Online course modules. You can read these in your own time.

    If there are any additional resources that either I, or course members, want to share, they will be added to the Google classroom.

  • Great question!

    I’m the expert on this topic. I’ve been researching it for many years at PhD level. I’ve spoken to a lot people about harm and abuse in yoga both informally and as part of my research fieldwork. Very little has been written about this topic, in a deep and substantial way, and much of what I cover on the course is my original research. It’s totally unique.

    I have an MA from SOAS in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation, also from SOAS. I’m a yoga teacher and have been working in the yoga industry since 2010. Therefore I have an educated and expert understanding of the yoga world and it’s history.

    There are very few people with this level of expertise on the topic of abuses of power in yoga. There are a few journalists and other academics who have specialised in abuse in a specific yoga group - many of whom I’ll reference in the lectures and reading resources. I’m the only person to study abuse in yoga, as a whole, at PhD level, from a feminist and yoga studies point of view.

  • Due to the sensitive nature of this course it is my preference that cameras are on.

    The live section of the course will be interactive, with group discussion. During these times, it would be particularly good if you had your camera on, so we all know who we’re talking to.

    If it’s not possible to have your camera on throughout I would appreciate it if you had it on as you joined, to say hello, before you turn it off again.

    This is for safety and general sense of good vibes.

    During the pre-recorded lectures there is, of course, no need to cameras on, as you’ll watch these in your own time, not in a group setting.

  • It depends.

    If you are a member of the British Wheel of Yoga you can count it as part of your CPD points. I’ve emailed the BWY to confirm this - you, the student, gets to decide what counts as your CPD points.

    This course is not registered with Yoga Alliance (USA/international) or Yoga Alliance Professionals (UK). As a very small business this is currently out of my scope.

    If you complete the quizzes at the end of the pre-recorded lectures, you will receive a completion certificate from SOAS Yoga Studies Online.

Feedback from previous courses

  • 'All of the information provided was fascinating and provided a lot of food for thought. Amelia was very knowledgeable but also sensitive in delivery.'

  • 'I enjoyed the whole course - I learned so much and feel like I understand yoga history much better than I did before. To shine a spotlight on women was really inspiring. I feel more connection to [my practice] now I know that women played a role in it's developments! It's great when academic researchers share their knowledge. It was lovely to connect with a group of other yoga women and hear their experiences.'

  • 'Amelia Wood's class gave me a deeper historical, spiritual, and philosophical perspective, strengthening the educational foundation upon which I build my practice both as a student and near-future teacher of yoga. Highly recommended!'

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